Tyla Wasn’t Worried Her Nails Would Make Eating Hard at Met Gala (Exclusive)

Tyla nailed her 2024 Met Gala manicure!

The “Water” singer, 22, wore a look inspired by “The Sands of Time.” Her Balmain gown was made of sand that embodied an hourglass paired with nails that dripped with diamonds.

Tyla, who made her Met Gala debut this year, gave reporters a glimpse of her manicure at The Mark Hotel before she made her way to the exclusive event.

On theme with her overall look, she opted for a timeless soft-pink shade. However, she spiced it up with chains that dangled tiny diamonds from each finger.

When PEOPLE asked if her adorned nails would make it hard to eat — and whether she practiced in advance — Tyla expressed no concern.

“It doesn’t matter,” the songstress quickly replied. “It just looks cute!”

Celebrity nail artist Coca Michelle, known for her nail charm designs, is the talent behind Tyla’s magnificent mani. Michelle, who’s created looks for stars like Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion, shared a roundup of Tyla’s Met manicure on her Instagram.

“Sands Of Time ⏳✨ Faceted Crystal Set for @tyla at the 2024 @metgalaofficial_ ⛓️💎,” the nail artist captioned the post.

While eating at the Met Gala wasn’t a concern for Tyla, walking up its famed red-carpeted steps was a bit of a challenge upon her arrival at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The red carpet footage proved so, picturing the star being lifted up parts of the staircase at the event.

Despite the limited mobility in the sand-covered gown, Tyla told La La Anthony during Vogue‘s official red carpet live stream, “I just love the outfit and how everything turned out.” She and the creative team behind her look “wanted something out of the box this year,” she said.

Balmain’s creative director, Olivier Rousteing, told Vogue that inspiration for the singer’s Met Gala dress — which included three colors of sand and was mixed with micro-crystal studs — came from a “desire to redefine boundaries and transform a transient material into an everlasting masterpiece.” 

However, the sculptural dress wasn’t very functional beyond the photo op on the carpet. In fact, Rousteing cut off the entire bottom half of Tyla’s gown when the pair went inside!

The creative director turned her gown into a mini dress by lopping it off with a pair of scissors that were handed to him by Instagram fashion pro Eva Chen.

Rousteing shared the behind-the-scenes video of the moment on Instagram (which also revealed that Tyla went barefoot once inside the Met Museum), precisely cutting around her legs while she was still wearing the dress.